headwind

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English

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Etymology

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From Middle English *hedwind, from Old English hēafodwind, equivalent to head +‎ wind. Cognate with Old Norse höfuðvindr.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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headwind (plural headwinds)

  1. (nautical, physics) A wind that blows directly against the course of a vehicle, like an aircraft, train, or ship.
  2. (figurative, by extension) A strong force that impedes or reverses progress.
    • 2022 June 16, Swati Bhat, “India's economic prospects firm despite global headwinds, says RBI”, in Gareth Jones, editor, Reuters‎[1], archived from the original on 16 June 2022, Macro Matters:
      "Domestic economic activity has been gaining traction in spite of formidable headwinds from external developments," the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in its monthly bulletin.
    • 2022 June 17, Michelle Goldberg, “The Future Isn’t Female Anymore”, in The New York Times‎[2]:
      At the same time, Faludi, who is working on a new book about the headwinds feminism is facing, suggested that the movement itself has grown sectarian and insular.

Verb

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headwind (third-person singular simple present headwinds, present participle headwinding, simple past and past participle headwinded)

  1. (transitive, uncommon) To blow directly against the course of a vehicle, like an aircraft, train, or ship.
  2. (idiomatic, uncommon) To impede or reverse progress.

Antonyms

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Translations

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